QB's Could Fall Out Of Draft's First Round
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Last year, quarterbacks were the dominant theme heading into the NFL Draft with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin, III leading the way. This year, it's entirely possible a quarterback may not get drafted in the top 10 picks thanks to recent quarterback movements.
The Oakland Raiders traded for their quarterback in the form of Matt Flynn, acquired from the Seattle Seahawks. The Arizona Cardinals acquired their quarterback on Tuesday by trading with the Oakland Raiders for Carson Palmer.
Oakland now has Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor to work with while Arizona finally has a NFL-caliber quarterback and a bevy of backups.
Of teams picking in the top 10, that leaves the Buffalo Bills. However, the Bills agreed to a deal over the weekend with Kevin Kolb, who is expected to take over as the team's quarterback next season.
The top rated quarterback on most draft boards is West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. The former Mountaineer quarterback played in a spread attack and piled up video game-like numbers for West Virginia.
If Smith is passed over by the Bills, who need help at a bevy of positions, it could be a while before any quarterback's name is called. From picks 11-22, most of the teams have an established starting quarterback.
Pick 23 could be a possibility if the Vikings want to add competition for former Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. After that, unless a team wants to trade back into the first round, no one is in need of a quarterback enough to use a first-round pick on one.
The last time a quarterback wasn't selected in the first round of the NFL Draft was 1996. That year saw players like Keyshawn Johnson, Jonathan Ogden, Eddie George, Marvin Harrison, and Ray Lewis all go in the first round. It wasn't until the 42nd pick when St. Louis selected Tony Banks that a QB was selected.
